Mars-Bound Hokie

I never said anything about a shuttle. I'm already on it. Stand by.

NAMIN KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y55D399 - 0H30M It's me, Namin Kerman. I'm the engineer flying the new aerial probe for Laythe. I figured I'd wait until I made it to Laythe to transmit my first thread entry, but Mission Control told me that a good portion of the public was demanding to hear from me. I was reluctant at first since I'm a pretty shy kerbal, but Mission Control wanted a transmission now while I still had a relay connection. I now have a 15% relay strength, and I'll go dark in a few days. Fortunately, I had already made my fine-tuning burn to Jool and expect to arrive in the planet's sphere of influence in about 1.75 years. Another reason Mission Control told me to make a transmission now is because we lost a crewmember of the Neptune I mission. (He died in a tourist lander, after his ship's separator failed to work before Kerbin re-entry. All occupants were dead upon discovery; no survivors) Below is a eulogy written by his mission pilot, Ludlong Kerman. If you have any respects to pay, please do so by replying to this thread. I didn't know Nathan that well, but Mission Control wanted me to give my own piece. All I can say is that Nathan was someone who loved to take on challenges and was a pioneer for all of kerbalkind. If you want more details about him, I think you'd have better luck talking to his family or his old crewmembers. While we're on the subject of old Neptune missions, I realized that my own mission plan is somewhat similar to the Neptune II mission. While Johnfrid used a single-use lander and I'm in a plane, I couldn't help but notice that some of the starred instructions are similar to what he did. More specifically, I will be: Entering Laythe alone Using a Laythe car to explore an island In my case, I also have to fix a wheel Get picked up by a ship full of girls while I leave my capsule behind Johnfrid left his in Jool orbit, while I'm leaving my plane to refuel itself on Laythe's surface We also know that the Mun Hopper can survive Kerbin re-entry if it: Refuels on Pol first Circularizes its parking orbit at 150 km before re-entry I'm actually glad that I will be going dark soon, because Anrey can't stop bragging that she would be the first kerbal to fly to Laythe's surface and back solo and without any pickups. I swear, if I hear one more brag, I'll request that Mission Control swap her with someone from the Dres exploration crew. Besides that, she's expected to enter Dres' SOI in about 331 days, and it will be another 7 years before the transfer window from Dres to Jool opens. Honestly, I think someone else can do the Kerbin-Minmus-Ike-Pol-Laythe route faster than Anrey can do the Kerbin-Minmus-Dres-Jool route. I hope someone does, then she can shut up. All drama aside, Mission Control has decided to shut down the Odin Station project in favor of a ring station. Sure, it was expensive, but it at least cost less than the sum of the station modules going into a halfway-constructed station. It also has: Crew capacity of 91 Can store and convert ore Also has TCS systems 6 standard docking ports Perfect for ascent planes 400G relay coverage Can generate power The U.S.S. Nathan Kerman, 245 km in orbit of Kerbin. Delivery rockets has 4,281 m/s of delta-V We're working on increasing that in case this fails - or, rumor has it, for sending a ring station to Moho. Imagine that, a ring station above Laythe. I also think it's fitting that it was named after one of the first explorers of that moon. We salute you, Nathan Kerman

I wouldn't move it to Minmus if I were you. You can't move an assembled space station from LKO to Minmus without damaging it, since docked parts tend to wobble and break (especially with the station's current configuration). Besides, it's called the World Space Station, as in it's orbiting Kerbin. Now, if you plan to dock a spacecraft/plane that can fly TO Minmus from the WSS, that would be cool - but be sure to leave some ports open for everyone else.

I got tired of waiting and decided to show my small docking-capable Laythe SSTO prototype. If I had to pick a name for it, I'd go with Hermes. Like a messenger of the gods, he flies up to the heavens and comes down on Earth while carrying scientific data.

Year 55 of my career save. So far, I've sent kerbalkind everywhere BUT: Tylo Yes, I did fly-bys of Tylo, but I never had any kerbals set foot there - or even get in orbit of that moon. Eve The endgame.

The desert landing was merely a test run, since I wouldn't have the luxury of runways when I was flying through Laythe. I DELIBERATELY missed the KSC that one time so I can determine if that plane was suitable for Laythe. The Neptune III itself (the real deal) both started and landed at 0-9 KSC. Thank you, I'm honored. I got more SSTOs ready, including what I am hoping to be a small docking-capable Laythe plane. You want to see them?

Here's my contribution to the W.S.S. (World Space Station). Save file here. Trust me, it works. Apparently, @Jeb-head-mug kerman forgot the scientific instruments My module can hold up to 19 people, and it has: Two regular docking ports One large docking port Okay, here are the pictures This is quite fun, actually. Kudos to you, @Jeb-head-mug kerman

@boolybooly, here's my first entry for the K Prize THE MUN HOPPER (KerbalX Link is for the current model. Pictures below show a previous variant in action) Below is the album for the first successful test run And I didn't stop at LKO. For more details on the Mun Hopper's performance, feel free to read the Neptune Mission Files. What do you think? Also, I have plenty more working SSTOs where that came from.

I built a ring station that's supposed to go to Laythe. I just hope I have the delta-V to get there. Later that day, I landed a Poseidon plane that I had previously launched into LKO as a test for another aircraft (Poseidon in my KerbalX). During the landing, I had a close call with the SPH control tower.

Great job, @BenKerman. What are you going to do next?

Which means that, in order to pass the challenge, you have to go around the planet in less than 80 minutes: Now, that does not mean that you're fine if you cruise at 786 m/s. This average time also includes the time it takes to take off, get up to speed, and land. And yes, your total entry time includes takeoff and landing (up to a complete stop)

JEBEDIAH KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y55D231 - 1H45M After waiting for so long, we have made our exit burn from Jool and on our way to Kerbin. We are expected to leave Jool's SOI in about 60 days, and reach Kerbin in 2 years and 152 days. I'm actually a bit jealous that we had to wait an entire high-Jool orbit after Starigh (the tourist engineer) made her exit burn before we did. Besides, I'm starting to get sick of this Poseidon; it's way too large and takes forever to get up to speed. Not only that, it's almost impossible to land anywhere with this thing. If we're taking two tourists or less to Laythe, a Mun Hopper would make sense. If it was a singular tourist, Bill and Val would make a date out of it (with the tourist as a third wheel). Back on Laythe, we got a couple of new items; a surface outpost and a Laythe Ascent Vehicle. I wish good luck to whoever has to control this monstrosity. I hope we make a smaller LAV soon; one that's easier to land. Mission Control also said that the Neptune V crew is approaching Jool from its refueling stop at Duna. They will refuel at Pol before making their transfer burns to Laythe, and then land their planes and do whatever it is they need to before taking off in a Mun Hopper. As for Anrey Kerman, the Neptune VI engineer, she's over a year away from her refueling stop on Dres. I don't know what she is going to do there, since the transfer window from Dres to Jool opens in seven years from now. I heard rumors that Namin Kerman, the engineer flying the aerial probe (part of the Neptune V mission), would attempt to fly around Laythe in less than 80 minutes when she landed - but so far, no confirmation. Then again, one of Bill's friends back home said that he saw someone from BigBen - a stopwatch and timer company - in the software wing of Mission Control. Two days after that, Namin logged a mid-flight software update. I wonder why. Same case for Anrey. Anrey's not alone in her Dres flight; an exploration crew is accompanying her in a Poseidon. Maybe we could launch a single-launch space station to Laythe that the LAV could dock with. Sure, it may cost more than an individual Odin Station part, but it will save us a lot of time and money in the long run.

Tell @nelso that. And this isn't even his best time.

I'm more concerned about the "SSTO" part, since Rule #7 states that you must stay below 35 km ASL at all times. You should be okay as long as you stay within the atmosphere. Also, just how long does it take for your plane to reach takeoff speed? Personally, I would suggest: Applying the brakes Starting engines at full throttle. Waiting a bit (I don't know how long for you) for the engines to warm up. Jet engines take a while to reach maximum thrust output. Releasing the brakes for a faster takeoff speed. 333 tons? My Poseidon SSTO weighs only 184. If you can take off, fly around Kerbin, and land in one piece in less than 80 minutes, then I say go for it.

@Pds314, does this answer your question?

Hi, @Laie. I dug through my old craft files and found a low-tech, medium-range plane from when I had to do temperature surveys on Kerbin. Here's my entry for the challenge. If I had to pick a name for it, I'd choose "Living Space" because I can't stop thinking about Robin Williams' "Itty Bitty Living Space" line from Aladdin. Since we're dealing with itty bitty Juno engines here. Design Specs Mass (metric tons) 9.940 Quantity of Juno Engines 4 Me going at 324.6 m/s when the plane is level at 1.5 km altitude. It can go higher if need be, but I wasn't going for altitude. I then turned around and headed back to the KSC to land. Let's see what we have here: Velocity at level flight: 324.6 m/s Starting mass: 9.940 tons Number of Junos: 4 SCORE: 806.631 (812.5 points if I round the velocity up to 325 and the mass to 10) How's this for a subsonic entry?

@noname_hero, are you going for the Apollo-style approach? If you are, more power to you. Also good idea to put an ISRU system on the lander module. If you want to send more people down to Laythe in a more cost-effective manner, then I recommend you use a refueling-capable SSTO. You can land on more biomes that way; if you have a probe core, you can also store a lot of data for the trip back. Just be sure you have enough delta-V for a safe return, or your kerbalnauts and/or your data will end up like the Neptune II. I hope to see more of your Laythe adventures.

Actually, it makes more sense to rescue Haycal since my craft is about 856K and a new hire would cost me 1.342M. Add the contract rewards to the rescued kerbal, and I get a new pilot for almost (less than) half the price of a brand-new one - along with a reputation boost and the chance of another contract.

My thoughts exactly. According to my MATLAB script, you are correct. I entered Haycal's apoapsis and periapsis altitude in the command window. It then calculated her orbital period around the sun. Although the program assumes that I am entering the stats of a prograde orbit. It probably doesn't make a difference. Here's my craft right now. I have 11,473 m/s of dV to spare after going in a retrograde solar orbit. I looked online for the minimum safe distance from Kerbol, but the highest I got was ~10 Mm. I think I'm good with a 561 Mm periapsis. My plane-changing node is in ~69 days. I have monopropellant in case my target can't EVA herself to the capsule. I think I'm good with the power. The engines didn't run out of energy when it was their turn to complete the 180-degree node, and my periapsis will take me very close to the sun. Regardless if the rendezvous autopilot circularizes my orbit at apoapsis or periapsis (before making the intercept burn), I should have a sufficient power intake. Any red flags I should be aware of?

That was my idea. I am bad at plotting gravity assists, nor do I particularly care for them. Besides, I'm on a time budget here. Can an inflatable heat shield protect a small capsule when doing a direct splashdown trajectory? Here's my idea 1 for the rescue mission? Do you think it will save the girl with a brute force approach? I also made sure to point out the inflatable heat shield protecting the capsule.

It's a stock game, all right. If I was looking for "relevant mods," I'd probably get one with a hyperdrive. That would kick ass. More or less: full details are on the chart posted in the original post. Excuse the mess, but this shows where Haycal's wreckage is relative to the sun. As you can see in the chart, I have 20 in-game years to complete the rescue.

Is it really that hard to blast off at a polar orbit? It's basically your average everyday launch, only you lean towards the north/south instead of the east when making your initial apoapsis. East is your garden-variety prograde launch West is retrograde; going the opposite of Kerbin's rotation. It's "backwards," hence the term "retro" grade. Does that answer your question? And yes, like @AHHans said, you can set your inclination to 90 degrees in the debug menu if you're going to cheat.

I just took a contract to rescue a girl from a retrograde solar orbit. More details in the chart below. AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, READ THE CHART BEFORE YOU ASK "WHAT ARE THE TARGET'S ORBITAL PARAMETERS?" MISSION BRIEFING CURRENT TIME: Y54D295 – 1H20M Name Haycal Kerman Specialty Pilot Craft Model Mk. I Crew Cabin Land-by Date Y74D292 – 0H46M Solar Apoapsis (m) 53,476,467,987 Solar Periapsis (m) 41,561,681,152 Inclination (degrees) ~ 177 If I complete this rescue mission successfully, I'll earn 178,200 total (this is the rewards minus the reputation taxes) I'm a bit clueless on how I should proceed with this mission. Worst of all, I have no idea how to build the rescue craft. I had the idea to use ion propulsion for the final rescue craft, but I also need the energy and power generation (especially RTGs) to go with it. Aside from that, I have no idea how to proceed - or if ion propulsion would even be enough. Does anyone have any ideas on how I should: Construct my spacecraft. Propulsion source ISRU or not? Action plan: When to launch Launch when Kerbin is at a certain spot relative to Haycal? Blast off at morning or night at the KSC What to do after leaving Kerbin's SOI Gravity assist/s (I'm bad at those)? Refueling? Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I'm not angry, I'm just saying that it's (generally) an unspoken rule to not use cheats in forum challenges. Even if I was down with you using infinite electricity, you wouldn't have made the time at 480 m/s. The name of the game is "Around the World in 80 minutes," and your current top speed would take you well over 2 hours to fly around Kerbin. Also, couldn't you just attach OX-STAT solar panels to the tops of the wings/fuselage - or at least where they won't become an aerodynamic liability? I don't know @Matt Lowne's top speed for this plane on Kerbin, but this is to prove that overhead panels are indeed possible.

@Flying dutchman, although I never explicitly stated that cheats weren't allowed (I probably should have), it is pretty much implied in this challenge. Besides, even if you used infinite electricity, you probably wouldn't make the time anyway. You would need to go over Mach 2.5 THE WHOLE TIME in order to get around Kerbin in less than 80 minutes, so 480 m/s isn't good enough. Besides, why use propellers when you have supersonic jet engines?